Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > El Paso
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-03-2010, 01:11 AM
 
22 posts, read 77,313 times
Reputation: 28

Advertisements

Hi, My husband might be transferred to El Paso. We currently live in Maryland and moved here from New York City. Our 2 children are school age. The oldest will be starting 2nd grade and the youngest will just be starting preK.
My biggest concerns are the schools, fairly low crime rate and easy commuting. I love MD because we live in the "suburbs" and it is easier for me to drive and park. In NYC the traffic, one way streets and lack of parking made it very difficult for me to drive.
I wanted to give a bit of background on us as a family to help you with your replies. From what I have been able to find out online it seems that El Paso compared to NYC has a "suburban" feel in most areas. For me that is a big plus. Also the cost of living is much cheaper than NYC.
It seems as if you can get a terrific home for around 130,000 to 150,000.
Also I just want to share that we are an interracial couple, which has never been an issue any place we have lived and I doubt it will be in El Paso but would like some input on this issue.
Lastly we don't speak any Spanish but would love to learn. Now LOL I read different things some say you need to know Spanish other's say it isn't necessary to be biligual. Naturally I'm sure being biligual is a plus even in NYC it would be nice to know Spanish. Honestly I'm hoping the kids will pick it up at school and playing with friends but was wondering if it was necessary for simple things like grocery shopping, hair appointments, doctor visits. In NYC some areas a lot of employees are bilingual but some only know Spanish. I don't want to assume anything but I figure that in El Paso, just like in areas of NYC, there is probably someone who is bilingual for us non spanish speakers.

So if you could give me some feedback and maybe suggest some zip codes that we might like to start searching that would be great. If we do move to El Paso we are planning to rent first before we buy. About the schools here in Maryland I was able to send my daughter to public school now in NYC we would have sent her to Catholic School. Obviously with small school age children schools are a major issue.
Thanks in advance we are looking forward to the move.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-03-2010, 07:29 AM
 
47,525 posts, read 69,510,800 times
Reputation: 22472
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mimi_77 View Post
As for the schools, check out the number of kids taking the SAT and ACT in the high schools that the elementary and middle schools feed into. That might be your best bet. Some of the schools here do a very poor job preparing children in academics.

I's easy enough to get around here. Commuting isn't too bad but it's getting quite a lot worse than it once was.

El Paso is "suburban" but with very tiny yards. You won't see many houses with much of a yard or space between houses, they like to pack them in here.

Interracial couples won't find a problem here. The military here has a lot to do with that, it's not like out east where there are those issues.

There are jobs that won't require you to speak Spanish, but many jobs will not hire you, won't consider your application if you're not a fluent Spanish speaker. It's the same thing you mentioned you have in NY, some businesses have employees that can speak some English and some can speak only Spanish but there are areas on the West side and Northeast where you can find businesses where English is spoken just fine.

It's not in shopping you find the problem - sometimes the clerk will count your change out in Spanish and can't answer you in English, the biggest problem with the language is for job seekers. If you aren't looking for certain jobs then you won't have a problem.

If you want your kids to learn Spanish, it would be best to look in Central or South El Paso or the Lower Valley, which is the SE part of El Paso. They would learn it quickly. They wouldn't have too much problem finding opportunities to learn Spanish in any part of town.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-03-2010, 09:49 AM
 
Location: Glory Road - El Paso, Texas (R.O)
2,619 posts, read 6,117,472 times
Reputation: 1846
I would add that it is some of the newer construction that have tiny yards. A good portion of El Paso isn't like that.

I rarely encounter an employee at a business that can't speak English. Unless I am at a Super Burro or Hamburger Hut. You will be fine at most other places...Banks, Shopping, Theaters, anywhere really.

Commuting is very easy here but has hit a small bump with all the construction going on. It should start flowing extremely nicely once it is all done.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-03-2010, 10:17 AM
 
22 posts, read 77,313 times
Reputation: 28
Thanks for your input. Small yards is very common on the east coast people out here want the house and not the yards. I figured if you were seeking employment Spanish would be necessary but I'm a stay at home Mom and hubby is relocating through his job so that is a non issue.
I'll have to start looking at the high schools that is a great idea because education is a big factor. I have been reading alot about the west side but I have seen some homes in the 79936 zip code. It is on the east side so confusing to search an area online. I know we will choose temporary housing at first because we need to actually live there for a bit to figure out where we feel most comfortable. I appreciate the input and still open to any more suggestions. Thanks already feel welcomed I really believe we can make this a terrific experience the town has so much rich history.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-03-2010, 11:30 AM
 
Location: 3rd rock from the sun
3,857 posts, read 6,938,977 times
Reputation: 1817
El Paso is very much a suburban town. Where will you be working? The west side to far east side is not a nice commute. In rush hour the I-10 is slow or backed up from the I-10/I-54 interchange (just east of downtown) all the way to Lee Trevino. The west side is bit more 'Americanized', has higher average incomes and, as in any city, the better schools tend to be in the better neighborhoods. The east side is larger (over 80% of the population) and has more shopping choices.

I'm sure someone here will dig up the link with a map of school rankings.

Spanish isn't necessary in El Paso but it helps. In my experience Anglos (kids & adults) don't pick up Spanish unless they take classes or are in immersion at school.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-03-2010, 09:13 PM
 
1,011 posts, read 2,820,204 times
Reputation: 656
I don't think I would recommend living on the east side when your job is on the west side or vice versa, on account of the distance and the traffic; El Paso doesn't have commuter trains.

You might want to take a closer look at Northeast, too, particularly the 79924 and 79934 zip codes.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-04-2010, 08:09 AM
 
130 posts, read 321,363 times
Reputation: 135
[quote=malamute;15312950]As for the schools, check out the number of kids taking the SAT and ACT in the high schools that the elementary and middle schools feed into. That might be your best bet. Some of the schools here do a very poor job preparing children in academics.

agreed. you will not have an issue with language barriers or commuting as the city is pretty small and friendly. I would, however, be careful about what school district you choose to live in. Based on my own experience juding science fairs in el paso and 3 other states (as well as what my wife has told me - she has been a teacher's assistant in two other states) El Paso is pretty far behind.

In addition to SAT and ACT, i'd check out how many students ended up in a four year university and keep in mind that most kids here go to UTEP. I dont want to knock the school (I attended graduate school there and it is currently vying for tier 1 status) but it does have a 97% acceptance rate.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-04-2010, 11:55 AM
 
22 posts, read 77,313 times
Reputation: 28
Thanks for the input everyone. Yes school is a major decision and depending on the area the public schools can be better than the private. For example in NYC we knew if we stayed there the kids we going to private or catholic school but here where we live in MD the public school is terrific.
I never thought to look at the high school level SAT and ACT scores I was planning to pick by classroom size which really isn't the best indicator. So thanks a lot for the help. LOL plus I know sometimes you can't "trust" real estate agents to tell you the truth about schools districts.
I keep checking for any and all input and thanks again I really do appreciate it everyone has been so helpful.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-04-2010, 02:00 PM
 
Location: 3rd rock from the sun
3,857 posts, read 6,938,977 times
Reputation: 1817
You can see school rankings here:
Texas Schools - Find a Public or Private Texas School - SchoolDigger.com
They convert school test results to a 5 star system and the results bear out my perception of local school ranks. I have been impressed with all EPISD teachers I've encountered & IMHO, no matter what city you are in, school scores reflect the neighborhood not the teachers.

When you find a home check it's address at http://www.episd.org/_schools/ to make sure you are in the school catchment area told to you by the real estate agent. Just because you can see a school from your house doesn't mean you are in it's catchment area.

Trulia.com and Zillow.com are helpful for finding a home & neighborhood.
El Paso Home Prices and Heat Map - Trulia.com
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-04-2010, 05:23 PM
 
Location: Irving, Tx
523 posts, read 1,364,952 times
Reputation: 731
Quote:
Originally Posted by mistabinks View Post
I would add that it is some of the newer construction that have tiny yards. A good portion of El Paso isn't like that.

I rarely encounter an employee at a business that can't speak English. Unless I am at a Super Burro or Hamburger Hut. You will be fine at most other places...Banks, Shopping, Theaters, anywhere really.

Commuting is very easy here but has hit a small bump with all the construction going on. It should start flowing extremely nicely once it is all done.

Yes..the older homes like where my parents live by Loretto..have big yards but when I go visit my mother, I hardly see ay on sale..I found that when I was in Walmart by Cielo Vista mall, not very many clerks spoke English..ELP is such a beautiful place..Wish I could be there..MOM!!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Texas > El Paso
Similar Threads
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top